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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29728989">breath of fresh air</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmyheart/pseuds/ohmyheart'>ohmyheart</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Royalty, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Prince Yang Jeongin | I.N, Thief Han Jisung | Han</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:54:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,657</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29728989</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmyheart/pseuds/ohmyheart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’s not my fault you’re easy to rob.”</p><p>Jeongin rolled his eyes at that. “I left the window open and put the vase on the table where you’d see it. I’m the one who predicted where you’d go.”</p><p>The thief smirks. “It’s a lucky guess, and still doesn’t explain how I managed to rob you last night.”</p><p>There was something about how cocky the thief was that was grating to Jeongin’s ears. There was no reason to be so defensive, and yet Jeongin wanted to do anything to prove him wrong.</p><p>“You managed to do it because you weren’t dealing with me. I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to break into any room.”</p><p>The thief finally stands and takes a step back, smiling at Jeongin.</p><p>“We’ll see.”</p><p> </p><p>In which Jeongin has Jisung steal what he wants, and Jisung has Jeongin be who he wants</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han Jisung | Han/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Lee Minho | Lee Know &amp; Yang Jeongin | I.N</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>AGIBBANG FEST</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>breath of fresh air</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello!! this is my submission for agibbang fest!! there's a ton of amazing fics that have been published and the event was run by such a wonderful team! here is <a href="https://twitter.com/AGIBBANGFEST">their twitter</a> so make sure to thank them and to check out the other fics :]</p><p> </p><p>My Prompt (#0055): Jeongin is a Prince who doesn't want to inherit the throne, Person B is a thief who keeps sneaking into the castle. Jeongin befriends them since he keeps catching them, and instead of reporting them to the royal guard he keeps letting them steal increasingly bizarre things until eventually Jeongin asks for them to steal the most valuable thing in the whole castle: the Crown Prince. And then they run away together :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“And when was the agreement between Levanter and Enozi signed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“1649.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the agreement covered what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Establishing a trade route across our borders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Highness, could you at least sound a bit more excited about the lesson for today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looked up at his teacher from his desk, giving her a tired expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We covered this already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m just going over it again,” his teacher says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what you said last time we went over this a year ago,” Jeongin replies with a sigh, sitting up. “I’m sure that when I meet Enozi’s queen and princess, they don’t want to talk about history.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand that the repetitiveness can get tiresome, but it is important for you to thoroughly understand the history of our kingdom as the heir to the throne.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin bit his tongue to hold back another argument. It wasn’t worth getting into it for the 500th time, especially when it always ended with him losing. Instead, he sat back in his chair, nodded, and continued on with the lesson.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> exactly he wasn’t content with his current situation. He was a prince who lived in luxury and would eventually become the king of Levanter. He was living the life every person in the kingdom fantasized about, yet the thought of inheriting the throne was enough to make his stomach clench and his head feel light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was drawn out of his recurring crisis by a knock at the door. His teacher fell silent as he turned around to see who it was, only to be greeted with the sight of his cousin at the door, dressed as if he had just gone out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apologies for the interruption,” Minho says. He turns to look at Jeongin, back straight. His gentle smile looks completely wrong in Jeongin’s eyes. “The Queen has requested to see you, Your Highness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jeongin realizes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“So that’s what he’s planning.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, looks like we’ll have to cut the lesson short today,” Jeongin’s teacher says. “Have a good evening, Your Highness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You too,” Jeongin says quietly, quickly gathering his things and heading out the door as Minho steps aside. The moment the door shuts, Minho’s shoulders fall and his kind smile is replaced with a mischievous grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a firework festival tonight in town, and it would look weird if I was at the event alone, so do you want to go? I can get someone to cover for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d never admit it, but he would always be eternally grateful for Minho.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we? If I’m in here any longer, I might explode.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two begin the walk to Jeongin’s room as Minho explains what had happened earlier in the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I actually had no clue the festival was a huge thing, but I was out with Changbin and he mentioned it was tonight so I figured I’d offer it to you. I know all these places where we can get some good food and drinks, and I think Changbin will have a stand outside too so I can finally introduce you two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin tunes Minho out as they continue walking, and he can’t help the feeling of jealousy bubbling in his stomach towards the elder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being his cousin meant that Minho was still important, but not as important. Second in line for the throne meant that he was a second priority, which allowed him much more freedom to do whatever he pleased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spent a lot of that time either spending time on his own or, more recently, going into town and exploring. Jeongin had heard a lot about Changbin, a new friend that Minho had made who he can’t seem to stop talking about, and he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to make a friend of his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only other young person who frequented the castle besides Minho was Felix, the head cook’s son, but Jeongin had the feeling that Felix may never view himself as equal to Jeongin, much to Jeongin’s dismay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me just put my things away and change,” Jeongin says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho grabs one of Jeongin’s papers, looking at it curiously. “Oooh, the trade agreement with Enozi. That’s a good one. The queen really values it, so you’ll be in her good books if you bring it up with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was another thing about Minho that sparked an ugly feeling within him. While both boys were fit to be king, Minho was the one to actually enjoy the job. Everything from history to diplomacy to the charm needed to work with people, he had it all. Hell, Jeongin wouldn’t be surprised if he found out that Minho requested more lessons, especially since he got less than him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was his best friend, his favourite family member, and a constant reminder of everything he wants to do and be but can’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho waited outside the door as Jeongin got changed into more casual clothes, making sure to throw on a coat, hat, and scarf to hide his face as much as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m done!” Jeongin shouted, and Minho entered the room shortly after.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have money?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m the prince, I literally am the money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho rolled his eyes. “I mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>on</span>
  </em>
  <span> you, like in your pockets or in your bag. You’re so irritating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin chuckled as he grabbed his bag and pulled a small pouch from inside it, shaking it in front of Minho’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got everything already. Are we sneaking out or can we just leave through the front gate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eric and Hyunjae are guarding the front gate, they’ll let us out without a fuss. However,” Minho walks up to Jeongin’s window and opens it, sticking his head out, “there is an easier solution than just waiting for the right knights to be on shift.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin sidles up next to Minho and looks out the window, trying to spot what he’s looking at, but all he sees is the wonderful view that he was lucky to get when deciding on a new room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get it, there’s nothing but the garden and the secret side entrance, but we’ve snuck out through there before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho extends his arm past Jeongin and points right next to the window where a wooden trellis, adorned with leaves, flowers, and vines extended all the way up the top of the castle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s harder to sneak out to the garden from the bottom floor inside the castle, so you should learn to just climb the trellis. There’s a bunch all over the castle, so you can sneak out anywhere, not just from your room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looks at his cousin like he had suddenly grown a second head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you insane? I could die if I fall from this height.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho shrugs. “Just don't. Anyway, let's head out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho walks off without another word, leaving Jeongin to trail behind like a lost cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They reached the bottom floor without any issue, and only had to hide behind a door once when they spotted the King's page down the hall. Soon enough, they were at the front gate, and the knights made no move to stop them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When are you getting back?" Hyunjae asks. "We're here for another few hours, but we have a break soon."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll be back in three hours at most," Minho explains. "If anyone asks where Jeongin went, you can just tell the truth. He'll get in less trouble if they know he's with me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Have fun!" Eric says as the two head out, happily waving at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin smiles and waves back before turning to Minho.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What are we doing first?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll go find Changbin and just hang out at his booth until his shift is over. After that, we’ll walk around and buy some things until the fireworks start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin nods as he continues to follow Minho, and it dawns on him that this is the first event he has ever attended outside of the castle, and how out of place he’ll probably feel. The closest he has ever come to an outdoor event was a lunch party in honour of a visiting king. He doubted the town event would require him to use his obscenely large knowledge of different types of plates and cutlery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without realizing, he tentatively reaches a hand out to grab the back of Minho’s coat, almost like an anchor. He knew how to act when he snuck out, and he knew how not to get caught, and he could probably survive this event alone, but having Minho by his side was a huge relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they reach the town, Jeongin freezes, letting out a quiet, “Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had never seen a place so full of life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carts were set up along the perimeter of the town square, selling a variety of toys and trinkets. Shops had their doors propped open and the owners were outside, many with food samples, inviting others inside to buy something before the fireworks began.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lanterns were strung across all the buildings, and the coloured glass only glowed brighter as the sun set across the horizon, making the sky darker. Colourful banners and flags decorated the windowsills of homes as children peeked their heads out before running out of their homes with their parents to join the festivities.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One girl in particular approached Jeongin and Minho with a basket in her arms, lifting it up towards the two boys.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um…” Jeongin awkwardly grabbed two of the items inside, handing one to Minho.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have fun!” the girl shouted before running off to hand out more of whatever she had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looked at the item in his hand. It was a colourful, cardboard cylinder with a string attached to one side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do I do with this?” Jeongin asks, examining it closely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look over here,” Minho says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looks up and turns to Minho, and as he does, a loud POP and a flash of colour enters his vision. He lets out a shriek and falls on his butt as Minho begins cackling. Jeongin sees a few strips of colourful paper fall to the ground. In Minho’s hand, the cylinder was missing the top piece and the string was detached and in his other hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a popper,” Jeongin realizes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho extends a hand to Jeongin to help him up, but Jeongin bats it away with a scowl and gets up on his own once he sees that he is still laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you didn’t recognize it,” Minho says, still smiling. “I really need to get you out of the castle more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looks over at the town, listening to the laughter that bounced off the bright lights, thinking about how much louder it was here compared to the castle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was right, he really needs to get out more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grab my coat again so you don’t get lost in the crowd,” Minho advises. “Let’s go to Changbin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin pushes aside the embarrassment of getting caught holding Minho and grabs onto him once more as Minho leads him through the crowd and into the town square.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two slow down as they approach one cart in particular, but as Minho happily greets the man standing next to it, Jeongin is distracted by the items being sold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His wares were dedicated to travel gear, and Jeongin only briefly paid attention to the travel bags and telescope as he was too distracted by the array of compasses at the centre of the cart. They were made of brass, with engravings of part of a map Jeongin doesn’t even recognize on the outside cover. However, it was the inside that really drew Jeongin in. The base of all the compasses was the same, with the compass rose sitting on top of a crescent moon, but the top part that is pulled up to reveal the interior were all different. Opening the compass revealed a different constellation design inside each compass, and Jeongin couldn’t even begin to figure out what each one was. Just as he was about to reach a hand out to take one, he felt a hand on his back, bringing him back to reality.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And this is my cousin, Jeongin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho nudges Jeongin forward towards his friend, who Jeongin assumes is Changbin. The prince lowers his scarf with one hand and extends the other, smiling at Changbin, but the smile doesn't completely reach his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a pleasure to meet you,”Jeongin says, falling into his formal, prince persona. “My cousin has spoken quite highly of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin does a quick bow as he shakes his hand, looking nervously from Minho and back to Jeongin. His voice sounded rigid as he spoke. “It is a pleasure to meet you too, Your Highness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho smacks Jeongin’s back, startling both him and Changbin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know you don’t have to talk like that, right? It’s not like he’s going to go to the castle and rat on you for speaking casually. Plus, you’ve got him talking like you too and it sounds weird. You need to get out more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin was hesitant to drop the formalities, but not Changbin. He let out a chuckle as his shoulders relaxed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t expect you to act like we’re best friends, but you don’t have to worry about needing to be formal around me,” Changbin says, reassuring Jeongin. “Minho won’t tell you this, but he was pretty formal with me too the first time we met.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“HEY—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, seeing Minho embarrassed was what comforted Jeongin. He nods at Changbin, giving him a small smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. Um, can I…” Jeongin points to one of the compasses, hoping Changbin catches on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Yes, you can pick it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Jeongin picks it up to take a closer look, Changbin explains the design.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The insides all have a different constellation, either by request or just what I feel like making. The one you’re holding is for Gemini.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re all really pretty,” Jeongin mutters. He shakes the compass a bit to watch the rose move, and he was surprised to realize how amused he was. The constellations reminded him of the astronomy tower roof back at the castle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want one?” Minho asks, reaching into his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin reaches a hand out to stop him as he sets the compass down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I won’t really have a use for it. I rarely leave the castle, and this town is the farthest I’ve ever travelled.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho looks at him for a moment before pulling away from his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you change your mind, you can always come back or have Minho pick it up,” Changbin says. “I even do custom requests.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jeongin replies. “So how did you and Minho meet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh as he explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I watched a shop worker recognize him as nobility and scam him out of a lot of money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho rolled his eyes. “‘Scam’ is a strong word—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right. Scamming involves convincing the other person the item is worth the price. She just said it was ten gold coins and you handed the money over without another word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She seemed honest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was 14 and laughing the entire time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was hypocritical of him to do so, but Jeongin still laughed as his cousin scowled. Would he fall for the same trick? Definitely. Will he still laugh at Minho’s misfortune? Without a doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After that, I introduced myself. I decided to pity him and tell him that he got scammed and has probably been getting scammed for a while,” Changbin continued. “When he said he didn’t care, I decided he was interesting enough to keep talking to, and here we are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like anyone at home will notice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin knows Minho means no one will notice a few extra gold coins missing, but when he notices his jaw clench and his hand move to twist the ring on his finger, he wonders if Minho’s presence at home is as valuable as the handful of coins he swipes before leaving the estate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you guys bought any food yet?” Changbin asks. “You should do it now before more people arrive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s eyes widened as he looked back towards the crowd. “This isn’t everyone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some people only come outside for the fireworks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were waiting to eat with you. Are you almost done?” Minho asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just waiting on—oh! There you are!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin hurried to pull up his scarf as someone, who he assumes to be one of Changbin’s workers, arrives at the cart and accepts the keys he gives her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have a good night!” she says as Changbin grabs Minho and Jeongin’s wrists.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You too!” he replies, pulling them away from his cart and towards the shops. “What are you craving? Are you fond of soup? Do you like soup?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeongin doesn’t like soup. Don’t ask me why,” Minho responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin freezes in place and stares at Jeongin for an uncomfortable amount of time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin shrugs. “I was never a fan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin blinks. “Okay… Do you like potatoes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love potatoes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin lets out a sigh of relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So the kingdom isn’t falling into evil hands, good to know. I know a nice place we can go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin lets himself be dragged away to a shop close by the main square that was partially packed with people either at tables enjoying their meals or standing off to the side, waiting for their orders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho and Jeongin let Changbin do all the talking, as he knew the place best. Leaning against the wall, Jeongin looks at all the patrons in the room, finding humour in the fact that they would all panic if they knew the crown prince, someone who didn’t even know how to order food, was in the room with them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin feels Minho lean over to whisper to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to bring you into town more?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looks over at the family sitting around one table, a couple sitting together in a booth, a young man with his hood up mindlessly stirring his drink, and a worker cleaning the windows. All of them looked completely at peace with where they were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Jeongin whispers back. “I like it here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the three of them get their food and head out, preferring to walk around and eat instead of sitting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The night remained uneventful. The three of them ate, walked around, bought a few souvenirs, all while Changbin and Jeongin got to know each other. To anyone else, it seemed like a normal day at an event that took place regularly, but to Jeongin, something this ordinary was incredible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t figure out how to describe his feelings exactly, but he knew that he’d take one festival over 500 balls in the castle where he was the main event.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The time came for the fireworks, and just as Jeongin was ready to rush to the front of the crowd, Changbin put a hand on his shoulder, quietly laughing in amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you’re excited, but I wouldn’t head to the front if I were you. Not only is it loud, but you’ll hurt your neck from looking up every time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led Minho and Jeongin to a small hill where other families were sitting, patting the grass next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a good thing we got here early,” he continues as the two sit down. “It would’ve been tough to find a spot otherwise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long does it last?” Minho asks. “We have to head back to the castle before the guards leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin shrugs, looking up at the sky. “About two hours, but feel free to leave whenever you want. You and I are going out tomorrow, anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho pulls his scarf up, covering almost half his face, and just as Jeongin was about to ask him if he was cold, his eyes fell on Minho’s ears, which were burning red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin pulls his hat off and hands it to Minho, doing his best to hold back a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your ears are pretty red. Are you cold?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho’s eyes widened before his expression hardened in an attempt to look mad, but his scarf falling to reveal his blush only managed to make him look kind of cute. He snatches the hat from Jeongin and pulls it over his head, making sure his ears are covered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With this revelation, Minho constantly talking about Changbin made a lot more sense. He wasn’t just excited to talk about his new friend, but he was unknowingly gushing about his crush. He stayed silent as he watched the two talk, looking away any time Minho checked to see if Jeongin was staring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He always viewed his cousin as the one to be pursued and never the pursuer, so seeing this new side to him was a pleasant surprise. Changbin seemed like someone who could match whatever weird energy Minho has, and that comforted Jeongin. If things go well, he’d be able to marry someone he loves and live a happy life with regardless of Changbin’s class and—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ugly feeling in his stomach returned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Love was the last thing on Jeongin’s mind, and that was partially due to the fact that he won’t really have love in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he’d be lucky like his parents and fall in love with someone who was also nobility, but considering his only friend was Minho, he had his doubts that he would get along with someone so well. His best case scenario would be eventually befriending the person he was supposed to marry, but even then, there would always be a weird tension between them, a cold piece of metal on their fingers being the only thing keeping them together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the fireworks eventually began, Jeongin wished he was sitting up at the front instead. His ears would have ended up ringing by the end of it, but it would’ve at least drowned out the laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a pathetic thing to be jealous over. Minho was right, he really needs to get out more.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>As expected, Jeongin woke up the next morning and was called to a meeting about him sneaking out. He was scolded harsher than usual, which was a surprise to him. He was also told that Minho would be taking some time to focus on his own studies, which was code for, “He took most of the blame so we’re punishing him for being a bad influence on you by grounding him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So here he was, doing his fifth lap around the castle, bored out of his mind and knowing that his only saving grace is the knowledge that no one will try to keep him inside once he’s king.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He decides to get a bit adventurous and takes a detour into the training grounds where most of the knights are, hoping that some of them would at least engage in small talk with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily, just as he was about to approach the door to the main training room, two knights, one of whom was thankfully familiar, exit. Upon seeing Jeongin they both quickly bow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Highness! How are you today?” Haseul asks, ruffling Jeongin’s hair. “Do you have a sword-fighting lesson today? You’re in need of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s face goes red at both the affection and the embarrassment of his poor combat skills. “Just taking a walk,” he responds. He then looks to the girl next to Haseul. Despite her tall height, she looked surprisingly young, maybe even younger than him. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Yang Jeongin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl bows again, and Jeongin is pleased to see that there are zero hints of nervousness on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahn Yujin, Your Highness! I am currently training as a knight under Haseul.” She puts a fist over her heart, smiling proudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin raises an eyebrow at the lack of a title, but Haseul just shrugs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s better when they’re comfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin accepts that as an answer. Out of all the knights in the castle, he enjoyed her company the most. He had fond memories when he was younger of her telling him stories of past adventures she went on, and he was always in awe at her unwavering confidence. He wouldn’t be surprised if Yujin felt the same towards her too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t hold you up then, I’m sure you two have a lot of work to do. Yujin, good luck with your training.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you very much, Your Highness,” Yujin says, eagerly. “I’ll work hard alongside the other knights to ensure last night’s break-in will not be repeated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin feels his heart drop as Haseul’s eyes widen, and Jeongin realizes that he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> supposed to know about that. Just as quickly as the news shocked him, he put a calm smile back on his face, acting as if this was old news.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yujin, can you check if we left anything inside the training room?” Haseul asks, moving to stand next to Jeongin. She places a hand on his shoulder, a gentle gesture if not for the tight squeeze she gives him, and Jeongin gets the message. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do not leave.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yujin bows once more before entering the room. The moment the door shuts, Haseul speaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They were going to tell you once they got more information. It happened while everyone was asleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t I be told what’s going on?” Jeongin asks, bewildered at the secret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Haseul sighs. “Yes, and I told them to tell you but everyone who agreed with me was overruled by your parents. This is also why your cousin was actually punished for once. The fear and paranoia got to them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I was here when it happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re trying to discourage him from letting you go out in case you two decide to stay somewhere overnight one day. As long as the thief is still not captured, they are going to be stricter with you leaving the grounds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin furrows his eyebrows. “Thief?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Haseul nods. “The meeting room on the fifth floor had some decorative jewels on the furniture and it was all taken.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin didn’t really care for any stolen items as long as they weren’t anyone's personal belongings, but he was intrigued by the situation, mainly because it affected his personal life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The castle will be stricter with him for as long as the thief is free, but if the thief was captured and arrested by Jeongin himself, then surely everyone in charge would not only be more lax with his restrictions, but even be so impressed that the loose restrictions on him and Minho could be permanent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one would be stupid enough to rob the royal family twice, but if Jeongin were that thief, the ego boost from getting away with it once would have him coming back a second time just to prove that he could do it again. If he’s being honest with himself, he’s hoping that the thief was cocky enough to return, especially since the sixth floor had a meeting room almost identical to the fifth, complete with a vase so expensive that all the zeros in its value would make a person dizzy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for telling me,” Jeongin finally says. “Even though I can’t really do anything about it, it’s still nice to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s irritating to be left in the dark, I get it.” Haseul reaches over and pinches his cheek. “Just don’t be stupid and try to sneak out again. You’ll make it worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Okay, I’ll just be stupid in a different way,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jeongin thinks to himself. He pulls her hand away and rubs his cheek. “I’ll stay here, don’t worry. Have fun teaching Yujin when to stay quiet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Haseul groans. “Poor girl is in for a rude awakening. Goodbye, Your Highness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodbye, Haseul.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin heads back to his room with a game plan. Catch the thief, get Minho out of his punishment, get himself out of lockdown, and then get Changbin to order more food for the three of them when they go and celebrate their freedom in town.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flops down on his bed as he realizes how ridiculous the situation was. Who else would try and catch a thief stealing an expensive vase just so they could get their cousin ungrounded?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lets out a sigh. Minho was right, he really needs to get out more.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin was getting impatient at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was annoying to admit he was wrong, so he wasn’t going to. Instead, he was going to remain behind the couch and stare at the window that he even left open in the hopes that the thief would show up. He even moved the vase to the table at the centre of the room so that it could be easily spotted from the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He occasionally glances at the door every time he hears footsteps and prays that no one enters. For his plan to work, no one but him could do it. He needed all the credit if he wanted freedom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he began to think that maybe he was wrong, he hears a quiet grunt from the window and instinctually clutches the sword in his hands. He carefully peeks around the side of the couch and quickly lurches back once he sees a person climbing in through the window, only managing to catch a glimpse of dark blue hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell…” Jeongin hears the thief mutter. “How many fucking jewels are in this thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin peeks over again and watches as the thief pulls out a knife and a small bag and begins using the blade to pry the jewels from the vase to put them in the bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Getting a better look at the thief, Jeongin realizes that he looks around his age, which surprised him. He was expecting someone much older considering the skill it would take to sneak into the castle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin, suddenly realizing that his plan actually worked, stands up from behind the couch and points his sword towards the thief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief flinches and takes a step back, dropping the bag and pointing his knife at Jeongin. He looks at him carefully, and realization dawns on his face. He lets out an awkward laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Highness, do you come here often?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s glare doesn’t falter as he steps around the couch, the table now being the only thing separating the two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Put the knife and jewels down and come with me. You’re under arrest for breaking into the royal palace and stealing our valuables.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin blinks. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief shrugs, pocketing the bag and keeping a tight grip on his knife.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the exact moment that Jeongin realized that people other than his parents can say no to him, and because of that, he had to go with Plan B.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jumping over the table, he thrusts his sword at the thief’s shoulder. He had no intention of killing him or even seriously injuring him. He just wanted him injured enough where he will either give up or be too tired to fight back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately for Jeongin, the thief is leagues above him in terms of fighting. In a flash, he steps to the side and grabs Jeongin’s wrist with one hand and the front of his shirt with the other, spinning him and pinning him to the ground with his knife at his throat. Jeongin is helpless as his sword falls out of his hand, but he does not cry out for help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of silence, the thief seems to notice and looks at him curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why aren’t you calling for help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In all honesty, Jeongin cared more about getting to leave the castle than some stupid rocks, so if the thief decided to run, he wouldn’t alert any of the knights.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why aren’t you running?” Jeongin counters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re being weird and I feel like there’s a trap waiting for me outside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one but me knows you’re here, so you can either do me a favour and turn yourself in, or just leave. The window is right there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief hesitantly moves his knife away from Jeongin’s throat, but makes no other moves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I take the jewels?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but only because the guards are going to get more annoying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not my fault you’re easy to rob.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin rolled his eyes at that. “I left the window open and put the vase on the table where you’d see it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> the one who predicted where you’d go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief smirks. “It’s a lucky guess, and still doesn’t explain how I managed to rob you last night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something about how cocky the thief was that was grating to Jeongin’s ears. There was no reason to be so defensive, and yet Jeongin wanted to do anything to prove him wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You managed to do it because you weren’t dealing with me. I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to break into any room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief finally stands and takes a step back, smiling at Jeongin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin quickly stands. “What—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s cut off by a kick to the chest as he falls back towards the couch. The thief sprints over to the window and climbs out, pausing one last time to point at the vase.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be back for the rest, feel free to pick a new spot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief disappears, leaving Jeongin alone with the vase, a bitter taste in his mouth, and a desperate need to prove someone wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ended up taking the vase back to his room to hide the evidence, telling one of the knights that he thought it would make a nice decoration. Then, after getting some well deserved rest, he spent the rest of the day thinking of a place to hide the vase for the thief to find.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had to be somewhere difficult to enter, but not somewhere where he could easily get caught, like his parent’s room. He eventually settled on one of the towers, specifically the one that was above the archives and held some of the more personal documents like birth certificates and the family tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Guards were stationed at the front and back entrances of the castle and there were a few that roamed the halls. Jeongin taking late night strolls was a common sight, so they didn’t question him or the giant bag on his back. He got into the tower with ease and set the vase down on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was strange, but he actually felt giddy over all this. He was probably just crazy and competitive and riding the high of talking to someone new, but he almost felt like it was a game of some sort. He was excited to beat the thief and prove to him that he wasn’t all that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin pulled up a chair, opened his book, and spent the next hour reading as he waited to see if the thief was actually able to break in. Midway through the book, just as he was beginning to feel confident, Jeongin felt his heart sink as he heard the lock on the door click and the door creak open, revealing the thief with a very smug expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said I’d be back for the rest. Thanks for not setting a trap, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?” Jeongin asks, standing up from his seat. “This castle is huge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he explains, the thief pulls his knife out and begins prying off the rest of the jewels. “I figured you would pick a difficult place so I could potentially get caught, so I decided to check the towers. This is the third one I went to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But the hallways, the knights. How did you get past them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief gives Jeongin a look as if he’s stupid, and Jeongin has to restrain himself from getting violent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a thief, I’m sneaky, I can hide. What’s not clicking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He deposits the jewels in his bag, leaving the vase completely bare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This has been fun, but three visits are pushing it and I’d rather not get caught, no matter how fun it is to play with you.” He gives Jeongin a quick bow. “Have a good night, Your Highness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something bubbles in Jeongin’s chest as he watches the thief head towards the door, and it reminded him of the feeling he got around Minho, but there was no sadness present alongside it. He didn’t want to let the thief walk out the door like it was something simple anyone could do. He couldn’t let this end without a win. He didn’t want to just be someone that was played with. He didn’t even know his name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You only managed this because it’s less guarded,” Jeongin blurts out, causing the thief to stop. “If I told you to steal something from a more guarded place, you wouldn’t be able to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief slowly turns around, looking at Jeongin oddly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what makes you think I’d agree to something that could get me caught?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You came back tonight, didn’t you? There was a chance I could’ve set up a trap to arrest you, but you trusted me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, slow down.” The thief lifts his hands. “Trust is a strong word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why did you come back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief shrugs. “It seemed fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin blinks. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no deeper meaning to a lot of what I do, I just do what makes me happy. I figured I’d have fun doing this, so I did it. Does the little prince not know what having fun is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The condescending tone was enough to shake Jeongin out of his shock, even if it was only temporary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you just tell me if you’re coming back tomorrow or not?” Jeongin snaps, purposefully avoiding the question. “Not everyone has the luxury to just come and go when they please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have anything to steal, and I’m not in the mood to figure out how to smuggle out a vase.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin wracks his brain to try and figure out a place for the thief to break into, eventually landing on one location.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s almost always someone in the kitchen. If you can sneak in and grab some of the cooking tools without anyone noticing, I’ll let you keep it all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not downgrading from an emerald to a cheap fork.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who said anything about cheap?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The twinkle in the thief’s eye lets Jeongin know that he has his attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you just want a fork?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Find me the strangest item you can get and all the silverware you want and meet me in the meeting room from yesterday. If you manage to do it, it’s all yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if I can’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Assuming you make it back without getting caught, I want to know your name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief raises an eyebrow. “That’s it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin shrugs. “I mean, would you tell me if I ask?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief lets out a short laugh. “I wouldn’t, but I expected something more. Then again, if you know my name, that’s a risk to my safety.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to worry about me using it against you. I just like having the knowledge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief lets out a sigh and smiles at Jeongin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I like this game. I’ll see you tomorrow, Your Highness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin watches the thief disappear behind the door and the moment he does, he feels the shock from earlier return as well as the heavy jealousy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was someone who could just go in and out of the palace with ease just because it made him happy, and worst of all, he had to act so nonchalant and cocky about it. All that was enough to get Jeongin to start blurting out challenges in the hopes that someone else could feel what he did. That the thief could, just for a moment, experience the risk of getting caught and feel trapped and realize that they had a luxury Jeongin craved. Both their happiness was tied to the palace, but while one of them wanted in because it was “fun,” the other wanted out.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Does the little prince not know what having fun is?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course he does, but it hits him that he can’t say that with full confidence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was right, he really needs to get out more.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The following night, Jeongin found himself back in the sixth floor meeting room, waiting for either the thief to enter the room or a knight to tell him the palace was on lockdown due to an intruder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A lot more time than he had expected had passed, and just as he was beginning to think that the thief had bailed on him, the window slides open and the thief comes crawling in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin sat up on the couch. “I left the door open.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The window was easier,” the thief replies as he sits down next to Jeongin and puts his feet up on the table. “I didn’t have to worry about running into a knight in the hallway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait.” Jeongin’s eyes fell on the sack the thief was carrying. “Did you…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief turns the sack upside down over Jeongin’s lap, causing the items inside to fall out. Jeongin lost track of the amount of silverware that clattered to the ground as the thief grinned. The thief then picks up one item and hands it to Jeongin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here’s your request for the strangest item I can find. I have no clue what it does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin picks up the item and looks at it carefully, having zero clue of what it was. It looked like it should be attached to something, but he wasn’t sure what.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks at the thief in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The door was half open so I crawled in and hid behind the giant table where they cooked while someone was on the other side. I then went into one of the cabinets and was able to reach inside one of the drawers from in there since I was next to one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Surely the person in there must have noticed the noise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was going </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> slowly. Once I heard them leave, I crawled out, grabbed whatever the hell that is, and came up here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin clenched his jaw once he realized that he had lost </span>
  <em>
    <span>again,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but before he could say a word, the thief spoke once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is fun, we should do another round.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Jeongin asks a bit too harshly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief begins to collect the silverware on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m having fun, and you clearly have no intention of arresting me, so if it’s okay with you, I’d like to do another round.” He looks up at Jeongin and smiles. “I said it makes me happy, and I like doing things that make me happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re only happy because you keep winning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not entirely, but,” the thief pokes Jeongin’s nose with a spoon, “maybe you’ll be happy if you win a round. Give me something harder to steal, and maybe you’ll finally have fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First of all,” Jeongin takes the spoon and throws it over his shoulder, “you’re not getting that back. Second, you don’t know me or anything about how I have fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I actually do. You looked pretty happy waiting for your food at the festival, so if I lose, I promise to bring you some potatoes from that place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin furrows his eyebrows, trying his best to lie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t talk to anyone but Minho and Changbin that night, so how did he know that he was there? He would have definitely remembered his blue hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You looked pretty interested in watching everyone inside the shop.” The thief pouts his lips. “I would be offended that you don’t recognize me, but that just means I’m doing my job right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A glance at the thief’s clothes sparks a memory in Jeongin’s head. He saw someone sitting alone with his hood up and stirring his drink, but he didn’t pay him any mind. Now, however, he wishes he did, and Jeongin grew more and more irritated the more he spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I assumed that since the prince was out and about, security in the castle would be lessened and I can go ahead and try and steal something. I was wrong, but I still got lucky. Did you know that there’s a secret entrance in your garden? I would suggest that you patch it up, but I don’t want to lose my only way in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did know about the hole in the gate that was covered with vines, because that’s how he and Minho snuck out any time they couldn’t use the front gates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay! I get it! You’re so smart and sneaky and know about my secret entrance,” Jeongin snaps. “Just take your prize and waltz out since it’s so easy for you to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Jeongin’s surprise, the thief falls silent and the smile disappears from his face as he gives him a concerned look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, you don’t have to continue this,” he says sincerely. “Just say the word and the game will stop. I’ll listen, and not because I think it’s an order from the prince.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief gives him a teasing smile, but there’s not a hint of arrogance in his expression. “I won’t be happy if you aren’t, that’s no fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin shifts in his seat, unsure of what to say. The thief still get on his nerves, and he still wants him to lose thanks to the weird, one-sided rivalry that he decided to make up… but after hearing him drop the cocky act and reassure him as a person rather than a prince, that this game will only work if they are both happy, his perception of the thief may have shifted, if only slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The chandelier in the ballroom,” Jeongin finally says. “You said you wanted something harder, so steal one of the diamonds off of it. When there are no balls, they keep a ladder in the corner of the room that’s tall enough to reach it. You can use that to take a diamond.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief’s kind expression changes into one of horror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you crazy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said to give you something harder, so there you go. Guards don’t really go in there often, so you don’t have to look over your shoulder every minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you are crazy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin shrugs. “Will I see you tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thief rolls his eyes and throws the sack over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Your Highness,” he says sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he makes his way towards the window, he turns and looks at Jeongin one last time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Jisung, by the way. Han Jisung.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He disappears from Jeongin’s sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next morning, as Felix delivers him his breakfast, Jeongin happily listens to him explain how the head cook is furious over some silverware that strangely went missing, all while ignoring how he couldn’t get a certain thief’s—no—</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jisung’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> words out of his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If this is how he reacts when someone decides to be understanding to him, then he was sure being cooped up in the castle was making him go insane.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was right, he really needs to get out more.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unlike the previous two nights, instead of calmly entering the room, Jisung throws the door open and slams it shut before falling back against it and sliding down, not stopping until he is seated on the ground. He looks over at Jeongin with wide eyes as he attempts to regain his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re actually insane. You want me dead, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Jeongin asks, approaching him. “Did you not get the diamond?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung reaches into his pocket and whips the diamond at Jeongin’s face, and unfortunately, the prince was not agile enough to dodge it. Jeongin hisses and presses a hand to his forehead as the diamond falls to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You won, why are you mad?” he asks incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung opens his mouth before quickly shutting it, his cheeks growing more and more red as he carefully chooses his words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… was almost caught.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you throw a tantrum over it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung takes a deep breath before continuing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have a problem with almost getting caught. The problem is </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> I almost got caught.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin rolls his eyes and sits down in front of Jisung.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Did a guard walk in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I entered the ballroom right as a knight left so no one would walk in for a while. I just— okay, I’ll be blunt. The chandelier fell to the ground while I was trying to steal a diamond.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is not what Jeongin was expecting to hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you fuck up that bad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s your fault for having a weak chandelier!” Jisung shouts. “I barely had time to grab a diamond and put the ladder away before a bunch of knights came rushing in. I hid behind a staircase and snuck out while they were looking at the damage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin bursts out laughing at Jisung’s expression. The poor thief had probably never drawn this much attention to himself before, and now he was responsible for damaging one of the most expensive items in the royal palace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, on the bright side, you at least have this.” Jeongin picks up the diamond and hands it back to Jisung, who takes it with a frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t seem as mad about losing this time,” Jisung points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin pauses for a moment. Jisung was right, he wasn’t as upset as he was yesterday, and he wasn’t sure whether to blame his kindness from yesterday or the ridiculousness of tonight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s because you made a fool out of yourself today,” Jeongin decides on. “Seeing you embarrass yourself brings me joy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung pouts. “I deserve compensation for this traumatic event. This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> game and you’re the one who told me to go after the chandelier. I’m scared, embarrassed, hungry, and only got away with one diamond.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you let me win, I would’ve shared my potatoes with you, but for now, I’ll show you mercy. Stay here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin stands up and grabs Jisung’s arms, dragging him away from the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be back in ten minutes,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without another word, Jeongin exits the room and heads towards the kitchen. He couldn’t get Jisung’s words from last night out of his head, so maybe paying him back for his kindness would help him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, no one was in the kitchen, but considering it was near the ballroom, anyone who was in here probably heard the crash and wanted to see what the noise was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin grabs the first thing dessert he sees along with two forks that did not fall victim to last night’s robbery and hurries back upstairs, hoping Jisung didn’t just leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, he didn’t. In fact, the thief was sitting right where Jeongin had left him, fiddling with the diamond in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is that?” Jisung asks and Jeongin locks the door behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure, actually,” Jeongin replies, sitting down across from Jisung. “I just saw a cake tray and grabbed it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sets the tray down and takes off the lid. To his surprise, Jisung gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love cheesecake,” he whispers, grabbing a fork and immediately shoving a piece in his mouth. Jeongin barely reaches out to take his own piece before Jisung goes back and grabs another, stuffing his cheeks and blissfully smiling. For a brief moment, Jeongin forgets that the person across from him is an annoying thief and smiles at how happy the guy is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m stealing this next time,” Jisung says. “Rich people cake tastes much better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of stealing,” Jeongin begins. “I know you’re able to get onto the castle grounds because of the garden fence, but how are you even able to get inside?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a trellis by the window,” Jisung explains. “It’s basically a ladder.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin rolls his eyes. “I can’t believe you and Minho have the same thought process.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Minho?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looks at Jisung, giving him a confused look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know who Minho is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not from Levanter. I arrived here about a month ago,” Jisung admits, surprising Jeongin. “If he’s royalty, I don’t know him. I did enough research to know what you and your parents look like and that’s it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s my cousin and second in line to the throne. He told me I should learn how to climb the trellis by my window if we want to sneak out more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was he one of the guys with you in the shop?” Jisung asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin wasn’t sure when the conversation suddenly turned into a conversation about his personal life, but he wasn’t complaining. He actually liked talking about Minho.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was. The other guy is a friend of his.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Changbin, right? I’ve seen him around and even bought some things from his cart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin remembers the items that Changbin sold. It was all travel gear, so did Jisung travel a lot? He showed up in Levanter a month ago, so was it just a pit stop? Was he going to leave soon?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The compasses looked nice,” Jeongin says. “I like the constellation pattern.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung grins. “I bought one the moment I saw it. They don’t compare to the real thing, but it’s a close second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin glances at the window and the tall trees obstructing most of the view and comes to the realization that, to his surprise, he’s never gone stargazing out his window, and that his short visits to the astronomy tower are probably the closest he’s come.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need something to steal tomorrow,” Jeongin says, quickly changing the topic. “This one is harder but less likely to end in property damage depending on how you handle it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re seriously not giving up?” Jisung asks. “How many more valuables are you willing to lose?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This one isn’t valuable,” Jeongin explains, setting his fork down. “You’re going to have to break into the library.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung blinks. “You want me to steal a book?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you to steal a book</span>
  <em>
    <span>mark.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m going to put one in a random book and watch you run around as you try to find it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m starting to think this is less about proving I’m a good thief and more about you being petty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin takes Jisung’s fork and picks up the now empty tray, standing up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But are you going to say no? I thought you said this game was fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung bursts out laughing as he also stands, pocketing the diamond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course not. Why would I make myself unhappy, Your Highness? Just promise me that if I win, you’ll have another cheesecake made for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Jisung.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the first time since meeting him, Jeongin walks away from Jisung with a smile on his face, the bitter jealousy he feels towards him not disappearing, but shrinking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels slightly embarrassed at the fact that something as simple as sharing a cake with someone was enough to boost his mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was right, he really needs to get out more.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin changed his mind. He actually hated being in Jisung’s presence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More specifically, he hated being in Jisung’s presence when the two were sitting on the ground trapped in a cramped storage closet waiting for some of the palace staff to leave and wondering why they decided to visit the library past midnight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin was having a wonderful time following Jisung around as he tried to figure out which book Jeongin hid the bookmark in. He had decided to rule out all the history books because “it just seems too obvious,” and was reaching for one of the books on Levanter’s laws when they both heard the door creak open and voices slowly getting louder. Immediately, Jeongin grabbed Jisung’s hand and dragged him into the storage closet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you here too?” Jisung whispers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have never willingly set foot inside the library. They’re going to be suspicious,” Jeongin whispers back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long are they going to be in there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it look like I know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung throws his hands up as best as he could given the tight space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me if I think the literal </span>
  <em>
    <span>prince</span>
  </em>
  <span> is well informed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They didn’t even tell me you broke into the castle. If it’s something important, they’re not going to tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the closet being dark, Jeongin could vaguely make out Jisung furrowing his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you didn’t know I broke in, then how did you know where to catch me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One of the new knights let it slip,” Jeongin explains. “She didn’t know that I hadn’t been informed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung opens his mouth but quickly shuts it, not knowing what to respond with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a big deal,” Jeongin quickly says. The last thing he wanted right now was to be pitied. “I’m young.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that young. You’re supposed to lead the kingdom, this seems like something you should know about,” Jisung says bluntly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin was growing irritated the more Jisung spoke about his position as a prince.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have as much power as you think I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But surely they would like to give you some experience as a leader. You can talk to the guards and head into town to search for me or—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung cuts himself off when he hears Jeongin’s head hit the wall as he quietly groans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why does that make you so mad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s body stills.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get snappy at me and mention how I go in and out of the castle whenever I want. I know you’re not mad that I’m breaking in because you would’ve snitched by now, so what is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin couldn’t think of a single lie to tell Jisung. It was such an oddly specific hang up that any excuse he tries just wouldn’t be believable. Unfortunately, he had to tell him the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s because I’m jealous,” Jeongin mutters, looking down at his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jealous?” Jisung repeats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin takes a deep breath. “I only ever leave the if Minho sneaks me out. He even told me to learn how to climb the trellis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin shifts in his spot as he continues.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m jealous that you can just go anywhere you want, whether it’s inside or outside the castle, so that’s why I kept challenging you. I wanted you to feel trapped like I did, even if it was temporary. I wanted you to realize that walking in and out just isn’t that easy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeongin—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it’s fine,” Jeongin interrupts. “When I’m king, I won’t have to worry about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you be happy as king?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin silently stares at Jisung before reaching a hand out towards the doorknob.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think they left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door slowly creaks open and Jeongin sticks his head out. The library was empty, but that doesn’t mean the hallways were. At the very least, he wanted a better hiding spot, and one look at Jisung gave him an idea of where to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Follow me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin leads Jisung out of the closet and towards the back of the library. He opens another door to reveal a staircase going up. At the top, Jeongin opens another door and looks behind him, waiting to see Jisung’s reaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think this knocks the compasses down to third place for the best view.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin was confident that the astronomy tower was the best looking place in the castle, and judging by Jisung’s wide eyes and slack jaw as he stared up at the constellations painted on the ceiling, he probably agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am never leaving here,” Jisung whispers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin locks the door behind him. “Take that back. I can only handle so much of your presence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung didn’t even bother hitting him with a comeback. He was too busy standing in the middle of the room and slowly spinning in circles as he stared up at the ceiling. It was honestly very cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looks away from him before he starts blushing, hoping that the room was enough to make him forget about the conversation they had moments ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait.” Jisung stops his spinning to stare at Jeongin. “If you rarely leave the castle, does that mean you’ve never gone stargazing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nevermind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does watching fireworks count?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not even in the garden?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t feel right, but forget about that for a moment.” Jeongin walks up to Jisung with a smug look on his face. “You know you lost tonight, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung’s expression falls as he realizes that he never found the bookmark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, let me go back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And risk getting caught again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This round wasn’t fair,” Jisung whines, and it sounded like music to Jeongin’s ears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin happily flops down on the ground and stares up at the ceiling, watching Jisung from the corner of his eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You owe me potatoes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll get your stupid potatoes,” Jisung grumbles, laying down on his back as well. “Can you at least answer a question for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin doesn’t like where this could be going, but he still nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first day you caught me, if you didn’t care about me stealing anything, then why did you try to catch me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s eyes don’t leave the ceiling as he answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was hoping that if I caught you, everyone would be so impressed that they would ease up on the restrictions they put on me and let me leave the castle. I also hoped that they would lift Minho’s punishment since he’s basically on house arrest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels Jisung’s eyes on him, but he makes no move to look back at him. After a bit of silence, Jisung finally speaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I apologize in advance if I start overstepping, but do you remember when I said that I do things that make me happy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” Jeongin replies, still not looking at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That includes travelling. When I’m not happy with a place anymore, I leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin realizes what he’s implying and quickly shuts it down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said things would be fine when I’m king.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t answer me when I asked if you would be happy as king.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin thinks back to the tiring lessons he goes through every day, how he would mourn that this would be his future forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a big deal in the long run.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not hearing a no. We all have to do things we don’t want to do and that’s fine, but how far are you willing to take it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a prince.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a person, Jeongin.” Jisung’s voice is stern. “Look me in the eyes and tell me if you’re unhappy right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not! I can’t be!” Jeongin shouts, staring Jisung dead in the eyes. “I don’t have a reason to be. I’m good at my job, I’m fit to be a ruler, and these restrictions are only temporary. I’m not scared or unprepared to take the throne, I'm just… I’m just tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unaffected by his shouts, Jisung just looks Jeongin back in the eyes. “You just gave me a reason to be unhappy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin blinks back tears as he gives Jisung a confused look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your reason is that you just are. It’s that simple.” Jisung sits up. “If the throne isn’t something you want, you shouldn’t have to take it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jisung, it’s not that simple.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your cousin is second in line, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>abandon</span>
  </em>
  <span> my duty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then…” Jisung pauses for a moment, giving up on the argument. “Then can you at least be honest and tell me that you’re unhappy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m…” Jeongin takes a deep breath, forcing the words out of his mouth. “I’m unhappy with being the prince.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just am,” Jeongin reluctantly says. “It’s just not for me, but I have to stick around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung looks like he was going to refute that last part, but he decides to keep quiet instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for ruining the mood,” Jeongin mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t ruin the mood,” Jisung reassures him. “I actually liked this conversation, since I got to know you better. However, I will admit that it is weird to skip over surface level facts and go straight to your emotional troubles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin lets out a quiet laugh. “You’re annoying and you like cheesecake. There, I know facts about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not annoying!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first thing you said to me was, ‘Do you come here often?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung simply waves a hand. “That wasn’t annoying. You just think it is because we had a rocky start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, I think you like me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Jeongin, whose face immediately turned bright red, could shut down what he thought he was implying, Jisung continued speaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I’ve been quite fond of you since the kitchen robbery, so I like that we now feel like equals.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin finally sits and gives Jisung what he hoped was an intimidating look. “Are you done being weird?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clearly, it wasn’t intimidating, as Jisung then wraps his arm around Jeongin’s shoulder, pulling him in closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If people expressing any positive emotion to you feels weird, then I’ll just have to make you get used to it, but not tonight. Do you think the coast is clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin completely forgot the whole reason they were up here in the first place. At this point, the staff had to be gone, which meant that Jisung could finally escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They should be gone by now, but I can’t head back with you. I can be caught in the halls, but not you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine by me. Have a good night, Jeongin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung stands up to leave, but as he reaches for the door, Jeongin calls out to him one last time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said when you’re not happy with a place, you leave. Are you going to leave Levanter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung stops with his hand on the doorknob and, after taking a moment, he turns around and smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was planning on it, but I found a reason to stick around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung leaves before Jeongin could say another word, leaving the prince to wonder what the reason was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost ten seconds later, the door opens and Jisung sticks his head in, looking at Jeongin with a blank expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s you, by the way. You’re the reason. I assumed you wouldn’t figure it out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung leaves again, only this time Jeongin looked a lot more flustered than confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks up at the ceiling one last time, thinking about how Jisung said that the actual sky has the best view.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d like to see it someday, maybe even with Jisung.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows he can just go into the garden and look up at the sky, but he doesn’t think it would feel the same as being outside the palace walls. It felt strange to crave something so simple, so normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was right, he really needs to get out more.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was close to midnight when Jeongin realized that neither he nor Jisung planned another round tonight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was embarrassing how quickly he panicked once he made the realization. Was he still going to show up tonight? No, there was no reason to, but they spent the past two nights talking to one another after a round, so he could show up, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or maybe Jeongin’s stubbornness was too much for Jisung and he decided not to show up tonight, or worse, left Levanter altogether.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I should just wait in the meeting room,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jeongin thinks to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“At least there, I’ll know for sure if he doesn’t come.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin heads towards his bedroom door, but a muffled voice interrupts him before he could even open it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open up! Picking the lock while you’re in here is rude!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At his window was Jisung, perched on the windowsill like a bird and waving at him like he wasn’t afraid of falling to his death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin rushes over to the window and opens it, helping Jisung inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here?” Jeongin asks. “We didn’t make any plans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung gives Jeongin a mischievous grin. “Stargazing in your little prison seems boring, I’m breaking you out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The same way I go in and out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes a moment before he realizes what Jisung is implying, and once he does, he takes a step back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no way,” Jeongin insists. “I’m not climbing the trellis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on,” Jisung whines, taking a step forward and grabbing Jeongin’s hands. “You’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never done it before! I at least need to practice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes the best practice is just doing it. My parents taught me how to swim by throwing me in the water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds incredibly dangerous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it worked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your experiences are not universal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung gently shakes Jeongin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just don’t let go, that’s it. I’ll be at the bottom to catch you if you fall.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin puts his hands on Jisung’s arms and frowns at their small size. That was not reassuring in the slightest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to give you a sword? I’ll give you a sword if you don’t make me do this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeongiiiiinnnn. Look, what if I told you I planned something and that’s why I’m so insistent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was enough to push Jeongin over to the other side. If Jisung had something planned, then he would feel too guilty to ruin those plans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, but first let me grab something. Do you have room in your bag?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s half empty, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin rushes out of his room without another word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>During breakfast, he had asked Felix to bake another cheesecake, and the baker was more than happy to comply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He enters the kitchen, barely even glancing at whoever was inside, and grabs the small cake box and two forks before running back to his room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he returns, Jisung is still standing where he left him, still looking just as confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Put this in your bag,” Jeongin instructs. “It’s cheesecake, so be careful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This will be a perfect addition,” Jisung says with a grin. He carefully places the box into his bag and heads towards the window. “Once I’m on the ground, climb out yourself and go very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very,</span>
  </em>
  <span> slowly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin nods, and Jisung practically hops from the windowsill to the trellis and scurries down like it’s nothing. Once he is safely on the ground, he starts waving his arms for Jeongin to follow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin takes a deep breath, steels his nerves, and climbs out the window. Unlike Jisung, he carefully reaches one hand out to the trellis and, once he has a tight grip on it, he reaches his other hand out. Once he feels like the trellis won’t completely crumble underneath his grasp, he reaches a foot out and places it in one of the holes, quickly following with his other foot before he chickens out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was at this moment that he was glad Minho couldn’t visit him. If he saw the panicked look on Jeongin’s face right now, he would never let him live it down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carefully, he inched his way down the trellis, taking an eternity to do so because he refused to move more than one limb at a time, but he didn’t care. He was terrified, and he was going to make it Jisung’s problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t let go of the trellis until both his feet are on the ground, and when he does, he hears Jisung’s applause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See, was that so hard?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next time you visit me, I’m pushing you out the window and letting your dead, rotting corpse become nutrients for the garden.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung’s applause abruptly stops.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay! Well, stay close. I’ll take you to where I set everything up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grabs Jeongin’s hand and leads him towards the garden’s secret entrance. Once they squeeze through and are outside the castle walls, Jeongin’s shoulders instinctively relax, and he finds himself breathing a lot better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure where Jisung was leading him, but it was not anywhere near the town. They continued walking for who knows how long until eventually, they reached a field.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t large enough for the land to have any use for farming, but judging by the patches of flattened grass, the field was probably frequently visited, whether it was to play, train, or, in Jeongin and Jisung’s case, to go stargazing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the centre of the field was a blanket and two pillows along with a pitcher and two cups, and Jeongin realized that this was what Jisung meant when he said he had something planned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin stared at the set up in awe as Jisung took a seat on the blanket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to be very honest with you. I stole all of this from the inn I’m staying in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin burst out laughing at the confession as he took a seat next to Jisung, pulling a pillow onto his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just return it when you’re done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what if we do this again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin’s heart raced at the thought of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll bring everything next time,” he replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, but I’m not done yet!” Jisung reaches into his bag and pulls out the cake box before reaching in and pulling out another small box. Jeongin’s eyes light up the moment he recognizes the scent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you you’d get your stupid potatoes,” Jisung says. “We’re even now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite Jisung’s words, Jeongin could see how the thief had not stopped smiling since he sat down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ate in silence, content with just sitting next to each other and occasionally looking up at the sky. With no clouds, buildings or trees obstructing his vision, he finally understood what Jisung meant when he said that nothing could compare to the real thing. Everything was just so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>big,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and surprisingly, he enjoyed the emptiness just as much as the hectic festival.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin flops down on his back and stares up at the sky. The festival gave him the time to take part in something with others. He didn’t feel lonely surrounded by Levanter’s citizens, because they were all there for the same reason. Here however, next to someone he had gotten along with astonishingly quick, he felt like he could take a breather. He felt calm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt happy, so why was he crying?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeongin?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts as he quickly wipes away his tears. He reaches over and grabs Jisung’s sleeve, pulling him down next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which one is that?” Jeongin asks, pointing to a constellation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung’s eyes widened in surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised you pointed that one out,” he says. “I thought I would have to tell you about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung sits up and reaches into his bag once more, pulling something out that Jeongin couldn’t see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I figured this would be a big deal to you, so after I left last night, I went to see what constellation you could see from here,” Jisung explains. “Then, this morning, I went to Changbin’s shop and got a compass that had that constellation, so here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin sits up and Jisung places the compass in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s called Vulpecula,” Jisung continues. “It’s a gift to remind you of tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What Jeongin was planning on doing was to just say thank you, maybe even let Jisung know how much this gift means to him. Overall, something quick and simple. Instead, he feels himself fall forward as he sobs into Jisung’s shoulder, shaking underneath his hold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry. Thank you,” he manages to choke out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to apologize,” Jisung whispers. “You do worry me a lot though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung is still holding onto Jeongin as he pulls away, wiping his tears as he does so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry about that too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s also okay. Even though I think you need to get out, I know now that I can’t change your mind, but I can change other things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just be stricter with your decisions. Choose what makes you happy, can you promise me that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can do that,” he says quietly. “I swear to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s simpler than you think, you’ll see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the first light of the sunrise finally shows itself, it was their sign to call it a night. Jisung takes Jeongin back to the castle and holds back a laugh as he watches Jeongin struggle to climb up the trellis. Once Jeongin is in his room, he leans out the window and calls out to Jisung.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will I see you tonight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Jisung replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two wave to each other before Jisung turns around and leaves, leaving Jeongin alone in his room, the weight of the compass in his pocket getting heavier and heavier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the very least, the compass would make a nice decorative piece on his bedside table since he has no actual use for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he starts to get ready to go to bed and get at least two or three hours of sleep, he notices the water pitcher on his table was empty. He grabs it and opens the door to go refill it in the kitchen, but stops when he notices one of the knights walking by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Highness, do you need anything?” he asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, um…” Jeongin points to the pitcher. “Just getting some water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The knight carefully takes it from Jeongin’s hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead and head back to your room. I’ll go refill it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Jeongin says quietly, watching the knight leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he is about to head back into his room, something catches his eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The portrait that was done of him on his 18th birthday stared back at him from across the hall. It greeted him every day since it was hung up, but now, for some reason, Jeongin can’t stop looking at it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was dressed far too formally, with a cloak over his shoulders and a sword at his side. He was fine looking at it all until his eyes wandered to the crown on top of his head, and he felt something break.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He immediately shuts the door and falls to his knees, breathing heavily. He feels his eyes tear up for the second time in the past few hours, but this time was different. He wasn’t talking about his unhappiness and how he can’t leave. All he did was look at himself, and it was enough to break him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Just be stricter with your decisions. Choose what makes you happy, can you promise me that?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He made a promise to Jisung.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can’t keep living like this. He can’t keep living a life where seeing his crown was enough to bring him to his knees crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t healthy, it wasn’t right, it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>fair.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He deserves to be happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung was right, he really needs to get out.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first thing Jisung sees when he climbs into Jeongin’s room is Jeongin standing and looking at him with a nervous expression, dressed like he was going out. The second thing he sees is the compass in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Jisung immediately asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have something for you to steal,” Jeongin says. “It’s the final round.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going back for that bookmark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that,” Jeongin clarifies. “I want, </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> you to steal the most valuable thing in the castle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung furrows his eyebrows. “The king’s crown?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin takes a deep breath and looks Jisung in the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Crown Prince.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung is silent for a moment, processing what Jeongin just said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you say steal…” Jisung’s eyes wander from the compass in Jeongin’s hand to his bed, where he finally notices the bag sitting there along with a folded piece of paper on his pillow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were right, and I’m sad that it took me having multiple breakdowns to realize it, but I can’t stay here anymore,” Jeongin explains. “I saw a portrait of me with a crown on and it just hit me all at once that I just can’t live like this forever. One day I’m just going to fall apart. It’s best if I leave without telling anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you want to come with me?” Jisung asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin looks down at the ground, feeling his face heat up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’ll have me,” he mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung approaches Jeongin and cups his face, lifting his head up to look into his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On one condition. You’re not the most agile, so you have to stay home while I do all the thieving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin bursts out laughing as he nods, putting his hands over Jisung’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can definitely do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a note?” Jisung asks, pointing to the paper on Jeongin’s bed. “I thought you weren’t going to tell anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a letter to Minho telling him that I’m not missing, I just ran away. I also congratulated him on inheriting the throne and included some advice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin softly smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not to give the time of day to those who do not give it to you, and to not make the same mistake I did and waste your years not prioritizing your own happiness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung plants a kiss on Jeongin’s forehead, nearly shaking with excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you ready to go? Are you forgetting anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been packing since I woke up. I’m ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he wasn’t already sure, the grin on Jisung’s face was all the confirmation he needed that he was making the right choice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He still shook on his way down the trellis, but he was glad to know that it was his last time doing so. Once he was safe on the ground, he took a deep breath, looking up at the castle one last time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung held out a hand towards Jeongin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin took his hand and held it tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let the cunning thief run away with the kingdom’s most prized possession, and he didn’t look back once.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i hope you enjoyed!!!</p><p> </p><p>
  <a href="https://twitter.com/jeongminsung">Twitter!</a>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <a href="https://curiouscat.me/sosweetie">CuriousCat!</a>
</p></blockquote></div></div>
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